Each day, we wake up, get ready for our day and enjoy our first cup of coffee. As you taste that first sip, do you ever wonder where this seemingly magical beverage comes from? Do you ever wonder what goes into the making of the world’s most popular beverage? I always did, right up until I came to work for Rogers Family Company, and began to learn what goes into a cup of coffee. Now that I have a better idea, I am even more amazed by my favorite cup of Joe.

My Knowledge of Coffee

I had a basic understanding of coffee before working here. Coffee beans are grown (somehow), roasted (in an oven right?), and then ground before I would put them into my coffee maker. I had heard about all the varieties and the blends, and to be quite honest, I really couldn’t tell the difference between a French roast and a light roast. I knew a “good” cup of coffee when I had one, and a “bad” cup for sure, but my expertise ended there.

More of What Goes into Coffee

When I started working at Rogers Family Company, I learned that coffee was grown inside cherries, and that the beans were actually the seeds of this cherry. I found out that these coffee beans are milled, dried, shipped halfway around the world. Then, after a period of time, they are roasted in professional coffee roasters (think a clothes dryer on steroids).

Roasting Coffee at Rogers

I saw how the quality control team monitored the beans at every point for color, smell and defects, and that only after they had passed multiple inspections were they allowed to be roasted. I was impressed with the very strict standards that are in place for the roasting and flavor profiles, and how even the slightest deviation from perfect will get a coffee bean rejected.

Rogers Family Company

All in all, the knowledge was pretty eye-opening. It gave me an opportunity to become especially proud of the company I now work for. I love that this company stands for such quality, and that they use the best traditions along with modern technologies to find the absolute perfect cup of coffee every time. How could I not be impressed? This is truly a committed family and a devoted team. I thought that there was nothing more a company could do in the pursuit of good coffee. I was wrong.

My Trip to Panama

I found that for me to have a real understanding of coffee, I needed to experience it at the source. I was given this opportunity recently when I traveled with Pete Rogers to Panama to visit our farms and our new mill. What I found was a culture of coffee and strong family traditions mixed with new technology; all meant to advance coffee, protect the environment and improve the lives of the people. What I found was the soul of coffee, and I will never be the same. More to come soon!

ABOUT COFFEE

Rogers Family Company has been in business since 1979 and is one of the nation's few remaining family owned, gourmet coffee roasters. Jon and Barbara's four children play an integral role in the ongoing success of the business.